Information for students
International program locations with details
Study abroad and service learning
You can choose from nearly 50 locations in more than 30 countries, and we’re adding more programs all the time. Each location offers students a different kind of opportunity--study abroad, service learning, or a combination.
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Explore these sites for many more locations.
Why is an international experience important?
- Experience a different culture.
- Meet people from around the world.
- Increase independence and self-confidence.
- Explore places you’ve only read about.
- Enhance your educational experience.
- Enrich your coursework.
- Demonstrate to prospective employers and graduate schools that you are resourceful, adventurous, internationally minded, and diverse.
- Improve your foreign language skills.
- Learn more about your own culture from a different perspective.
- Realize a dream.
How can an international internship help me?
- Gain relevant professional experience.
- Apply your coursework to real-life challenges.
- Learn from practicing professionals.
- Strengthen foreign language and cross-cultural skills.
- Explore and pursue new international opportunities.
- Earn academic credit.
Am I eligible?
The minimum qualifications are listed below. Some programs have higher eligibility criteria or program specific requirements.
- be a student in good standing at WOU
- have sophomore status
- meet the minimum 2.50 GPA or the GPA required by a specific program if greater than 2.5
- meet the language requirement for the program, if any
- meet any other program specific requirements
- complete an interview with a study abroad advisor who recommends you for your program.
Where do I live while I’m abroad?
The housing options are unique to each program site. Depending on the program, you might live
- with a host family
- in a residence hall
- in an apartment
What else do I need to know about WOU’s international programs?
- Use most forms of your financial aid. click here
- Earn WOU credits while you’re abroad.
- Apply your study abroad, service learning, or international internship credits to your WOU academic program. Most credits will fulfill major, minor, LACC or elective requirements.
- Choose an English speaking program or internship or choose one where you can improve your language skills.
- Go abroad for just a few weeks, a quarter, a semester, or a whole year.
- Receive assistance in applying for such prestigious awards as the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, Rhodes Scholarship, National Security Education Program, and others.
What ifI want an international career?
Consider choosing WOU’s international studies major or minor and prepare yourself for a challenging and rewarding career. Employers are looking for people who can communicate with others in more than one language and culture.
I want to participate in an international program that WOU doesn’t offer?
If you wish to enroll in a non-WOU sponsored program, the Office of Study Abroad and International Exchanges can advise you about the best way to do this, so your transition back to WOU after your program will go smoothly. Please be aware, though, that your WOU financial aid only applies to WOU sponsored programs and that you will need to become reenrolled at WOU after you complete your program.
What do I do if I wish to earn credit through WOU for eligible WOU sponsored non-credit international programs or international programs not sponsored by or affiliated with WOU? Examples include research, service learning, special projects, internships, study abroad, etc.
You will need to complete a special International By Arrangement Form and follow the process outlined on the form.
Fellowships and scholarships
Important Note:
As soon as you decide to study aboad, make an appointment to see a financial aid counselor. Though many types of financial aid and scholarships apply to study abroad, there are some exceptions. The Financial Aid Office can provide you with information about what will apply.
WOU Scholarships for Study Abroad
Northwest Council on Study Abroad (NCSA) /AHA International Scholarship
Guidelines | Application (Available to students enrolled in AHA/NCSA programs for fall, winter, or spring.)
AHA International (Available to students enrolled in targeted AHA programs. Most summer programs are excluded, but Morelia, Mexico is an exception.
Cooperative Center for Study Abroad (CCSA) Scholarship Guidelines and Application
(Available to students enrolled in CCSA programs.)
Friends of Gentle House Foreign Study Grant. Available to a WOU student in the German Program. Guidelines and Criteria | Application
Scholarships for IE3 Internships
Two types of IE3 Program Scholarships are available to students: 1) scholarships for highly-qualified students whose financial limitations would otherwise make participation in the program a hardship; and 2) scholarships based on student merit as demonstrated in the scholarship application essay and the IE3 Global Internship program application.
Other Scholarship Opportunities
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
Critical Language Scholarships for Intensive Summer Institutes (CLS)
Freeman Asia Program
Fulbright Program for U.S. Students
Fund for International Service Learning
National Security Education Program (Boren Awards)
Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant Competition
Global Studies Foundation Student Grant
Find More Scholarships on Line
College Board Scholarship Search
For information about the following scholarships as well as other forms of financial aid, contact the Financial Aid Office.
http://www.wou.edu/student/finaid/programs.html
WOU Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship
WOU Students in German Scholarship
WOU ASC Scholarship
What WOU students are saying
about study abroad and international internships
“I don’t think enough students in the U.S. take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad. Studying and working abroad has changed everything about me. This is one of the best decisions I ever made.”
- Emily Sanders—IE3 Internship, Fulbright Commission, London, England
“The two weeks I spent in Australia helped me overcome my fears of traveling and flying, but most of all they ignited an interest in traveling places that only seemed like a dream to a young Latina.”
- Viridiana Pozos, CCSA Program in Sydney, Australia
“I won’t forget the experiences I had and the insight I gained about cultural differences, lifestyle, language, etc.”
- Jeff Benson, NCSA Program in Rosario, Argentina
“Being away from my home helped me to identify a sense of self that I might never have found in America.”
- Jessica Marsh, AHA Program in Athens, Greece
For more information